Featuring Dr. Larissa Roux, MD, MPH, PhD, CCFP, Dip Sport Med

Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds

Bike seat neuropathy is a condition that affects female and male bicycle riders.

It is the compression of a particular nerve, the pudendal nerve, in the genital region, with extended periods of sitting on your bike seat. It can also be caused by restriction in the blood flow to the pudendal nerve.

In terms of symptoms, in mild cases tingling or numbnness in the genital region might be experienced by a rider after a long ride. In more severe cases impotence, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence can result.

For an athlete facing this condition it's important they seek the advice of a primary care sports medicine physician or their general practitioner as a starting point.

Bike setup, technique of riding, certainly a decrease in training volume, as well as saddle design can be contributing factors to this problem. And in many cases these symptoms can be reversed.

If you have any more questions regarding bike seat neuropathy, please feel free to contact your general practitioner or primary care sport medicine physician.

Presenter: Dr. Larissa Roux, Sports Medicine Physician, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Sports Medicine Physician